Service Meetings for August
Week Starting August 1
15 min: Local announcements and pertinent Announcements from Our Kingdom Ministry. Demonstrate talking points in current magazines that can be highlighted in field service this weekend.
15 min: “Keep a Positive Attitude.” Questions and answers. Briefly interview pioneer or longtime publisher who will relate how it has been possible to keep a positive attitude in spite of apathy or resistance in the territory.
15 min: “Brochures—Valuable Tools for the Ministry.” Discuss with audience. Arrange for two well-prepared demonstrations of the suggested presentations, include mention of a contribution toward the worldwide work. Display some of the brochures that will be featured during August. Remind audience to pick up copies for use in service this week.
Song 142 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 8
10 min: Local announcements.
15 min: “Know Your Brothers Well.” Questions and answers. Invite audience to relate brief experiences showing how they were able to get better acquainted with others by applying the suggestions in paragraph 6.
20 min: Doing More Informal Witnessing. Group of three or four publishers discuss how to expand their share in this activity. Using the October 15, 1987, Watchtower, pages 22-7, they review what others have done, and they talk about how they plan to do more of this type of work. Chairman encourages audience to consider how they can share in this feature of service.
Song 182 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 15
5 min: Local announcements, including accounts report and donation acknowledgments.
15 min: “Cultivating Interest on Return Visits.” Discuss with audience. Include two 3-minute demonstrations showing how the presentations can be used to make return visits. Encourage efforts to start Bible studies.
25 min: “Keep Walking Progressively in an Orderly Routine.” Questions and answers.
Song 96 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 22
15 min: Local announcements and “New Special Assembly Day Program.” If known, announce date of next special assembly day, and encourage all to make plans to attend.
15 min: How Can I Get Close to God? Demonstration of family study. Parents discuss material in chapter 39 of Young People Ask book with teenage children. Cover subheading “Publicly Declaring Your Friendship With God,” pages 315-18. The children complain about feeling embarrassed when going from door to door and describe the meetings as repetitious and too frequent. Parents reason with them in a kindly way, pointing out Scriptural principles that show these activities are essential if they are to maintain a good relationship with Jehovah.
15 min: Local needs. Or give a talk on the article “Intensely Occupied With the Good News” in the July 1, 1991, Watchtower, pages 28-30.
Song 184 and concluding prayer.
Week Starting August 29
13 min: Local announcements. Outline special field service arrangements for September 5. Interview one or two publishers who were able to auxiliary pioneer or otherwise expand their activity during the summer months. Relate some of the joys experienced.
15 min: “Can You Rejoin the Ranks?” Discuss with audience. Include any local experiences showing how someone has been able to reenter the pioneer service or how a household has cooperated to help a family member take advantage of this privilege.
17 min: Offer the Live Forever Book During September. Encourage enthusiastic efforts to place this book and start studies during September. It was released in 1982 and has since been used as primary tool for conducting Bible studies. Copies released at district conventions had this message: “This new study book contains just what is needed to help many others to share the same hope that we do. . . . It contains all the important Bible truths that new ones need to understand in order to dedicate their lives to Jehovah and to serve him acceptably.” Results shown in increase in publishers from 2,652,323 in 1983 to 4,709,889 in 1993. Invite individuals to relate how they learned the truth by studying this book or how they helped others by studying it with them. As time permits, point out other features of the book that can be highlighted when offering it, and give a reminder to mention the privilege that householders have of making a small donation to the worldwide work.
Song 161 and concluding prayer.